Arsenal will face Angers on the road in Wednesday’s pre-season friendly. The Gunners suffered their first loss in normal time during the recent Emirates Cup outing versus Lyon but manager Unai Emery should not have much of a concern, given a number of key players were missing due to different reasons.
Predicted Lineup:
Bernd Leno played through the entire game against Les Gones in goal. He should start between the sticks once more in preparation for the season opener in under two weeks’ time.
In the defence, there could be a couple of changes from the previous game. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who seemed to be carrying a minor fitness concern, could be replaced by Carl Jenkinson while Sead Kolasinac should feature ahead of Nacho Monreal on the opposite flank.
Both Kolasinac and Mesut Ozil missed the last game due to the car-jacking incident but they should be prepared for the Angers clash. In central defence, Calum Chambers and Sokratis should feature again ahead of Shkodran Mustafi, who has been going through a tough time in pre-season.
In the midfield, Dani Ceballos could be handed with his maiden non-competitive start for the club. The new summer signing had an almost flawless 20-minute cameo against Lyon and he could be partnered alongside Granit Xhaka.
Further forward, Ozil should return to the team in the attacking midfield position while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reiss Nelson could feature on the left and right side of the attack. Upfront, Eddie Nketiah could get the nod as Alexandre Lacazette could be afforded with a rest after the recent ankle sprain sustained against Les Gones.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno, Carl Jenkinson, Calum Chambers, Sokratis Papastathopoulous, Sead Kolasinac, Dani Ceballos, Matteo Guendouzi, Reiss Nelson, Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Eddie Nketiah
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